Chasing a world famous drug lord along Columbia’s cocaine trail is all in an honest day’s work for Huddersfield actor, Joanna Christie.

And that’s because she has landed a starring role in a hotly-tipped American TV series on Netflix.

The former Almondbury resident will grace screens around the world when the curtains go up on her first regular TV part in the crime thriller, Narcos, which follows the attempts to catch notorious cocaine baron, Pablo Escobar.

Filmed on location in Columbia and based on real events, the film allows 32-year-old Joanna to sample the experiences of one of the wives of the US DEA agents sent to the country to hunt down Escobar to life.

She plays Connie Murphy, an ER nurse, who risked her safety to volunteer in Bogota before adopting two Colombian baby girls, whilst her husband, Steve, attempted to seek out Escobar in 1991 when he was on the run from Colombian and US authorities.

Joanna, who normally lives in New York but has moved to Colombia for the six-month shoot, said: “Previously I’ve only ever done guest parts on TV so I’m really looking forward to playing a regular character, seeing how her story unfolds and being able to get my teeth into a long term role.

“I was also very excited about getting to live in Bogota. Travelling with work is one of the best parts of the job and the more exotic the better so I’m having an incredible time exploring the city on my days off.”

Joanna has been contracted for the entire first season, which is 10 episodes long but hopes that she will be asked back to take part again as the detective story unfolds.

And she got a taste of investigation for her own when she went to meet Connie, ahead of beginning filming earlier this year.

She said: “I went to meet Connie in Virginia and heard all about her experience in Colombia at that time.

“It was brilliant for me to be able to meet her in person and also crazy because we turned out to be so similar.

“I also love the character: she’s gutsy and brave and adventurous so she’s fun to play.

“I think that the similarity was what helped me to get the job-the producers must have seen how we have a similar energy and attitude and luckily I was just right for this part.

“I just put my audition on tape, had a Skype chat, met the director and was offered the job, which is quite unusual as casting can normally be a long process.”

Narcos, which will debut on the internet channel next year, is directed by José Padilha, who is well-known for chronicling the violent world of drug criminals, such as in Elite Squad.

The part is the latest accolade for talented Joanna, who this summer trod the illustrious boards of Broadway for her lead role in award winning musical, Once, a role she got when she was on the verge of hanging up her acting coat.

She said: “I absolutely loved my year on Broadway and really hope I get to have that opportunity again but I strive to have as much variety as I can in my career so being able to go between TV, theatre, musicals and film is very important to me.

“Living an adventurous and unpredictable life is fantastic and so far I’ve been incredible lucky in where my career has taken me-I just hope that it continues.

“I get a big kick out of living in a new and exciting place, experiencing a new culture, learning a new language and exploring interesting and important stories-I’m just happy to go where the work takes me.”

In 2008 Joanna shared top billing with Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe in a stage version of the play Equus.

The show ran for three months at London’s Gielgud Theatre, and won rave reviews - perhaps more for Radcliffe’s naked appearance on stage.

Joanna was born and raised in Almondbury, until the age of 13, when she was awarded a music scholarship to study flute, piano, and voice at Oundle School in Northamptonshire. Five years later, she moved to London to attend drama school at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.